Currently, there is a single method to block read/write access to sectors of a hard disk drive. This method is known as Host Protected Area (HPA) and is defined by Technical Committee T13 industry standards group, which is part of the International Committee on Information Technology Standards (INCITS) responsible for interface standards relating to the AT Attachment (ATA) storage interface. The disadvantage of HPA is that the mechanism allows for a single set of sectors or a single region of a hard disk drive to be protected. In addition, HPA is cumbersome in that it is difficult to dynamically lock and unlock read/write access to the protected region.